Illegal Plant Trade Info - How Does Poaching Affect Plants

By taking these plants, poachers are pushing numerous plant species closer towards extinction. As more and more poached plants are taken, the value of the plant rises due to its rarity.

What is the impact of poaching?

Due to poaching, many countries wildlife have been drastically reduced or even have become extinct. This is because due to high poaching numbers and destruction of the environment by human expantion; the animals had previously become endangered species.

How does poaching affect the environment?

Poaching can affect the environment by depleting certain species of animals. It causes animals that are endangered to become extinct, thus creating a disruption in the food chain. Eventually, it will cause as a result new adaptations of animals, and/or species beyond human control.

Why should poaching be illegal?

We believe that animals can't be exploited and threatened, they must be protected and they have the right to live free in their natural habitats. Poaching is a threat not only for elephants and other animals, but for the whole global community. ... To tackle poaching is essential to give a strong international response.

What organisms are being affected by poaching?

Commercial poachers kill grizzly bears, moose, bighorn sheep, elk, mountain lions, eagles and snakes. Domestic bear species such as American black bear are slaughtered for their body parts that are used for exotic foods, medicinal purposes and as aphrodisiacs.

What efforts are being made to stop poaching?

The current wave of poaching is carried out by sophisticated and well-organised criminal networks – using helicopters, night-vision equipment, tranquilisers and silencers to kill animals at night, avoiding law enforcement patrols.

What are the negative effects of poaching?

Poaching can have negative effects on the environment because when one species is declining at a rate too fast to replenish, other species can increase or decrease as well. Plant life can overgrow or cannot regrow due to the other species that was normally hunted by a poached animal.

What will happen if poaching continues?

Continued Poaching Will Result in the Degradation of Fragile Ecosystems. ... As soon as a number of animals (of specific species) get poached, the life of such animals is threatened and their extinction possible.

How many animals are killed by poachers each year?

Every year poachers take more than 38 million animals from the wilds of Brazil to meet the global demand for illegal wildlife. Most are birds destined to become caged pets for people in Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Madrid or New York. Biodiversity in Latin America has decreased by approximately 83 percent since the 1970s.

What animals have gone extinct because of poaching?

10 Animals Hunted (or Nearly Hunted) To Extinction

Woolly Mammoths. The last of the Great Woolly Mammoth populations vanished near the end of the last Ice Age over 4,000 years ago. ...
Caspian Tigers. ...
Thylacines (Tasmanian Tigers) ...
Dodos. ...
Passenger Pigeons. ...
Polar Bears. ...
Muskox. ...
American Crocodiles.

Why is poaching bad for humans?

Animal Poaching's Impact on Humans

Two serious problems that impact humans due to poaching are the spread of food borne illness and lack of natural resources. These are both due to the the amount and type of animals that are caught and sold. ... Poaching affects humans because it also affects our natural resources.

Why do people poach?

Poaching can be defined as illegally killing wildlife or any animal for food, pleasure, ivory, fur or more. One main reason that people poach animals is for rare products, such as ivory and fur. In a broad sense, hunting and poaching mean the same thing but one major difference is that hunting is legal in countries.

How much money do poachers make?

A horn can earn a poacher roughly 150,000 rand—nearly five years' salary in one day. Even with those lethal stakes, the criminals kept coming. Five years ago, poaching here was out of control. Considering that a rhino horn fetches $60,000 or more per kilogram on the black market, many thought it was worth the risk.

What is the punishment for poaching in Africa?

The current punishment for poaching elephants is a life sentence or a fine of $200,000. Last year, it was reported Najib Balala, Kenya's tourism and wildlife minister was planning to fast track a law that would make poaching a crime punishable by death.

How can we stop the hunting and poaching of animals?

Extraordinary Ways to Stop Poaching

Engage the public. ...
Recruit more wildlife scouts. ...
Make tougher laws. ...
Give the animals a sanctuary. ...
Zoning (Demarcate land for the wild animals) ...
Put more trackers and sensors in the wild. ...
Outlaw the purchase and sale of animal parts and products.

How do poachers kill elephants?

Once the elephant is on the ground, the poachers cut his tendons to immobilize it, condemning them to a painful death. So that the elephant empties more quickly of his blood, they cut his trunk.” Which is to say, it takes a special kind of capacity for cruelty, even evil, to be an elephant poacher.

What can kill a rhino?

Adult rhino has no real predators in any forest other than humans. Young rhinoceros can, however, be a victim of big cats, crocodiles, African wild dogs and hyenas.

Where is poaching most common?

Most of the poaching takes place in Africa. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) reports that 25,000 elephants were killed in Africa in 2012, though other observers say it could be many more.

Is poaching increasing or decreasing?

In reserves where the number of rangers has decreased (due to lack of funding) wildlife poaching has naturally increased. Overall, it appears that wildlife poaching for bush meat has seen a significant jump during this pandemic.

What happens to poachers if they are caught?

While each state differs in the exact penalties levied against poachers, penalties for poaching range from temporary or permanent hunting license revocations, forfeiture of property (firearms, vehicles, etc.) used in the course of poaching activities, monetary fines, and even jail time or imprisonment.

What are the pros and cons of poaching?

Pros: Conservation, prevention of disease. Cons: Restriction of freedom, fear, seperation, from their own families. Killing: Pros: Meat, food, and survival of homo-sapiens.